“Phil really wanted a dedicated team focused exclusively on the gaming cloud,“ says Kareem Choudhry, a executive at Microsoft.

By focusing on cloud services in gaming, Microsoft will be able to reach across platforms and impact the industry in a significant way. For example, Ubisoft has been using Microsoft’s Azure cloud services across the PS4, Xbox One, and PC with Rainbow Six: Siege. The company is also planning to extend its influence by focusing on subscription services. “We’re really pleased with the success that’s happening [with Game Pass],” Kareem Choudhry added.

“We continue to believe in user choice, and we also believe there’s room in the industry for a gaming subscription and that’s what we’re going to build.”

It’s evident that Microsoft is looking to impact gamers beyond just their console by streaming games to devices, for example. “We’re looking at ways to make that content available to anyone no matter what device they’re on,” stated Choudhry. As of now, Microsoft is on an interesting course and we’ll have to wait and see if their efforts pay off.